The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1887-02-08
DEATH IN A TURKISH BATH.
The London Case Not AIarninG-No Re
lation OF Cause and Effect.

The London Case Not AIarminE-No Re
1ati"n OF Cause and Effect.
Tho recent case of death in Turkish
| bath. really from excessive drinking, re-
ported by The London Daily News. was
recently the text for long article in
your Sunday edition, in which were
many reflections based more on magma
ton than solid facts. There NAV be
danger in sleeping in temperature of
12O dess.. but it is infintcssi,nal. Do
VIC hesitate to go to sleep because tho
night is very hot2 BY no means There
! IS, however, great danger in tho habit of
excessive drinking, whatever the person
may do aftcrwartl, whether it he going
| to the Turkish bath or to church. but tho
bath would be the safest place to 20 at
| that time. The habit of the bath il q
most laudablo ono, and is to be cncour-
aged at all times. as it tends to the wei
fare and betterment of the community
to elevate and not degrade man. 1t is on
tho side of virtue and not of vice.
because some may at times use it to
get relief from their excuses is no more
the fault of the bath than is the fact that
people will sin during the week and go
to church on Sunday to get absolution
the fault of tho church. People arc not
made weaker or dcblitated by the, bath.
On the contrary, they are made stronger
and moro vigorous, and more able to use
what strength they have. Disease ;ud
bad habits most certainly weaken, But
the bath mover. Let us look = little fur
thcr, and not hastily say when a man
dies that the last thing he touched killed
hlm. There is too much reasoning from
the surface. Is the sun to be blamed for
bringing noNious air frolH undraincd
swaElps' If one takes a Turkish bath
to-day and tomorrow is attacked with
rheumatism OF other diseases, is that the
fault of the bath? Ernphatically nol If
1t is n fact that the bath is weakening,
how is it that persons weakened and de-
hilitatcd by disease can take ono or two
baths day and rapidly recoyer2
Again, how is 1t that tho attendants
have worked in tho heat of tho bath sew
era1 hours daily for years and not lost
day from sickness? A fact most promi-
nent in relation to these attendants is that
they invariably improve in health and
strength after commencing that kind of
work. Mr.. D. Urquhart, to whom
modern civilization is indebted for the re-
vival Of the ancient ottoman, or Turkish
bath, as it is now called, states, in the
Manual Of the Turkish Bath" that the
pest shampoolng he ever received was
from man so years old, who had been
worker IN tho bath since he was years
OF age. The frequent use of the Turkish
bath, instead of being killing, is enliven-
ing and helps to prolong life and increase
its vigor. A person who is given to ex-
cess in drink and who makes frequent
use Of tho Turkish bath is therefore more
likely to live longer than if he did not use
tho bath. The daily use Of the bath has
been found In many cases of great advan-
tagc to persons in ordinary health, BY
that means they arc fortified against dis
ease and their systems toned up and in
vigorated. Death has como to man in
the pulpit, on the ferryboat, at the table
Is it at all wonderful that 1t should come
to one while in tho bath, when he has
taken the surest course, by dissipation, to
bring that condition about! Rest assured
the bath, in and Of itself, is not the thing
to hasten that time.-Charles H. Shep-
ard, NJ. D., in Brooklyn Eagle.